27 July, 2007

What the world needs is proper aluminum fenders that are long enough to really keep water off and don't cost $80. And that's exactly what arrived at the VO shop today, hundreds of high quality Velo Orange brand aluminum fenders.

They come in a smooth profile that's 46mm wide and will easily take tires to 35mm and probably 38mm (need to check). The second model is fluted and 49mm wide and will accommodated 40mm tires. They fit 700c and 27" wheels. The stays are 5mm aluminum, just like Honjos and they use similar (but not identical) R-clips and stay-to-fender draw bolts. They are not highly polished like Honjos, but have a slight mat finish.

The front fenders are 90cm long and the rear are 120cm. That's longer than most Honjos and every other fender but one; our special extra-long Honjo models are still a bit longer.

So what are the drawbacks compared to the more expensive Honjos? The VO fenders are not as shiny as Honjos, though you could buff them up in about 30 minutes. The hardware is generally not as nice as on Honjos and the attachment for fork crown and bridge is a little crude compared to Honjo's nice daruma crown bolt and sliding bridge. Like most metal fenders, they are not pre-drilled.

The best part is that they only cost $35 per set with all hardware included!

The fenders stays are attached just like on the Honjo fenders, with a little draw bolt.

Pablo, Just a few minutes ago I bent one of the smooth fenders to fit 650B. That was easy, but the fluted fenders are stiffer. I think you could do it if you went slowly and carefully. We will order 650B versions next week, but they will probably take months to arrive. We are also investigating a narrower version.

Look great but I cannot imagine anything better than the Honjos we purchased from you for Sara's VO.

Speaking of which, will we be seeing more photos of that lovely bike any time soon? I posted a link to the flickr photo set on the bike as a comment to the original posting from last month and have checked that set from time to time, but so far, nothing new.

We're still working on set-up and stem length so bars remain untaped. Just added fenders and front rack this week so I'll post some new action shots. Sara LOVES this frame and complains that she hasn't had enough time to take it out for a proper, longer ride.

More pix to that same flickr set forthcoming.

New issue: Sara keeps speeding past me on the new bike. On Monday, distracted by her blur, I rode my bike into the back of a parked car (I kid you not).

As a possible replacement for my planet bike fenders they show promise. However, I'm running long-rech Shimano RX-100 dual-pivot sidepulls with my 32mm wide tires. Will the 46mm width work with this brake?

Lesli, I hope you and your bike are okay. As you say, Honjos are still the best and that's why folks will buy them despite the expense. Our Honjo 650B, and other, models have been made and should soon be on a ship heading across the Pacific.

Anon, I can get these made in 67mm, but I wonder if we would ever sell enough to justify the cost. How many folks want fenders that wide?

Beth, I don't have any of those brakes to check. You can probably flex/bend the fender enough to make it clear if it's close.

Hi Chris:These look nice. I'd have ordered them if I had not not already gotten the Honjos (may get a pair later anyway-- the price is sure right!).My only suggestion for future runs would be to have the mounting hole for the fork predrilled and the fender pre-flattened at the fork crown. The flat spot in particular is too hard for most people to get right manually. The Berthound stainless fenders do this, and are sure a lot easier to mount than the Honjos (they have better stays and hardware too, BTW, causing fewer TCO issues-- I ended up mating my Honjos to a set of Berthound stays and hardware to eliminate TCO).

I need wider fenders 65 -70 wide for my LYNSKEY custom . It will take 700 X 47c tyres with fenders.That is what I asked for , and they did it.The VeloORANGE RACK IS wating for the right fenders.Charlie near Jennersville PA

TCO is Toe-Clip Overlap. FWIW, I don't think this mounting hardware should cause a problem. TCO is really a problem at the mid-point of the wheel where the fender is at its closest point to the pedal. Mounting the stays lower on the fender should eliminate any interference. This is another benefit of long fenders. If there is still fender/pedal interference this is the result of the frame design not the fenders.